Talks - Subconscious, Effects on Children

Subconscious, Effects on Children

Subconscious, Effects on Children

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
, 1998-11-29

The two parts of the Subconscious mind that fight with one another and remolding the subconscious mind are topics today, as well as enjoying life. Gurudeva tells us that Hinduism is a free flowing religion meant to be enjoyed. He tells us about children that attend Christian schools and the religious conflicts that are put into their subconscious minds. Gurudeva discusses half-Hindus and full conversion to Hinduism referencing Loving Ganesha.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam. It is November 29th.

'Hinduism Today', our monthly International magazine, is almost ready to go to the printers. The heads of the five schools at Kauai Aadheenam called the 'talaivars', are meeting this morning.

The message today is: be cheerful, joyous and spontaneous for a spiritual life. It is not a sad state of consciousness. Some of the religions of the world, especially those who love to do child-beating for discipline, preach and teach that religion is really a somber affair. When a spiritual leader is visiting, everybody is showing how religious they are by how sad they look, repentant. Not so, in Hinduism.

Hinduism is a free-flowing religion. With a group of Hindus, whatever sect it may be of the four denominations within this great religion, they are relaxed, happy, smiling, enjoying the religious life of the gathering. Why is this? They have no conflicting beliefs within their sub-conscious mind.

Now, often Hindus visit me with their children, from India. Nearly every day do we give darshan. That means they are allowed to come and see me, and I see them. Occasionally, a child hangs back with an uptight look of disdain almost, on his face, whereas the parents come forward. I ask the parents, "Do you send your child to a Christian school?" They hang their heads and say, "Yes".

Well, the child will neither be a good Christian, nor a good Hindu but will be frustrated all through life. Then, we take time to explain the matter to the parents. This is what they came to hear.

A year or two later, they make a pilgrimage back to Kauai Aadheenam with the same child. If they have adjusted the inner mind of the child by taking him out of the Christian school, putting him or her under public training, in a public school, or a private school, non-denominational school, the child will follow the parents' pattern and come forward. Why? Because the mind has not been pre-programmed to hate the Hindus. It is as simple as that.

So, we have to be sharp. We have to be wise about what we put into the minds of the children and whom they associate with.

Religious gatherings must be joyous. Converts in Hinduism often have two parts of their subconscious mind, that is the subjective mind functioning, and you never quite know which is in power at one time or another. One would be their previous religion, the other would be their new religion that they converted into. They relate experiences of life and the solution to those experiences to one or the other of the religious patterns within their subconscious mind.

True conversion into a new religion is changing the subconscious mind, not just memorizing the doctrine intellectually. Those who are unhappy in a religious gathering are often in their previous religion when they are in this religious gathering.

Now, how did we get into this subject here in cyberspace? Because many, many people are ardha-Hindus. They have a Hindu first name, but they are clinging on to a non-Hindu last name. The haven't taken the big step. The big step is not to change fully one's name. The big step is to go through a process which takes a year or maybe more, of changing the sub-conscious mind and belief patterns within it. This is all explained at length in a very large book, 'Loving Ganesha'.

Ganesha is the first God that brings into the Sanatana Dharma, known today as Hinduism, in the English language. New souls who were Hindu in their past life, have accepted karma, reincarnation, the existence of God everywhere and the progressive path of temple worship, of becoming one with the deity within the temple through deep meditation, through yoga. Now this is very important for us to know because it is very important to examine who you are, really, inside of yourself.

Get rid of the old and come forward dynamically into the new. This is registered by a smile on your face or lips down in a little frown. What is it going to be? 100% or ardha-Hindu, a half-percent?

How did we get into this? This was a question that came up today at our morning meeting at the Kadavul Hindu Temple. Someone asked, "Why are unresolvable problems always unresolvable? Why can't we get over them even if we get the best of explanations?"

Well, the answer is what I have just been talking about, the two parts of the subconscious mind that fight each other. One of them believes Sanatana Dharma and the other part of the subconscious mind believes one of the other group of beliefs or singular belief within the Abrahamic religions.

Think about it. Play this back several, several times if you are an ardha-Hindu, if you have a Hindu first name, but haven't had yet the courage to take the big step and remold your subconscious mind. Play it again and again until you really understand. Take that big step and it works both ways.

Go back to the old religion you were born in and be religious fully or come into one of the four denominations. You cannot accept them all. It is an impossibility, because even they do not agree with some subtle points. But ninety percent, they do agree fully. Take the big step in, or the big step out. Then you will have that smile in a religious gathering.

Well, seeing you through cyberspace is a wonderful experience for me. Hearing these daily messages, people say, is a wonderful experience for them. Our international congregation is as solid as a rock. So, we'll see you tomorrow. I'll be seeing you tomorrow in cyberspace.